Description

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A sweeping YA historical epic set in the wild and dangerous world of prehistoric Europe—written by an archaeologist!

As Headwoman’s daughter, Nahia was born to lead… but when she speaks aloud a forbidden truth—that her people are facing a growing threat of invasion from the sea—her expectations are shattered when she’s punished with exile. Her clan’s future is precarious, but her own seems all too certain: she must forsake everything she knows to apprentice with the enigmatic shaman, Eneko.

Under Eneko’s tutelage, Nahia uncovers a shocking talent for divining messages from the spirits. Eneko, too, is not what he appears: he is human enough to love. But all is not well with her people, and they need her help. Drawn back to them, inexorably, she finds things are just as she feared. . . But is it in her power to change them?

In this powerful upper YA debut with crossover appeal, archaeologist Dr. Emily Jones transports us to a rugged world of pine forests, frothy beaches, and wild magic, and depicts spiritual awakenings, unbreakable bonds between women, and the realities of pregnancy, conquest, and violence. Masterfully pairing the epic scope of prehistory with the weight and shape of contemporary topics, Nahia is an amazingly fresh successor to the classic Clan of the Cave Bear. Utterly unique and shockingly good, this is a knockout debut.

About the Author

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Dr. Emily Jones is an expert in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, and historical ecology. She is an archaeology professor at the University of New Mexico as well as the director of the graduate program in archaeology. Prolific in her research publications, Jones' fields of expertise include human-environment interactions, historical biogeography, and human adaptation, all of which she brings to her fiction writing. Her dissertation investigated the European diet at Nahia's time. Her secondary specialization is in Neanderthal lifeways.